Good Days are Hard To Come By
by Sirus7009
Summary: What's a man to do when he can't get the trouble makers out of his life? Go drink, of course! What's a girl to do when she can't decide on her feelings, and needs to get away from a teasing demoness? Run a certain half demon over and get a drink, of course! First chapter is humor, second is angsty romance from Lady's POV. T for language.
1. Chapter 1

Good Days are Hard to Come By

Girl talk. Fucking girl talk. In his office. On his favorite couch.

Dante groaned in annoyance, shoving his nose further into his magazine as he tried to block out the girl's conversation- which was conveniently about him and his eating habits.

He was sitting at his desk, his legs propped up in their usual position. It was, at first, seeming like a decently relaxing day. Warm weather for spring, sun was shining, he got to sleep in a little later than usual, no calls for work. He dug into left over pizza for breakfast, and even had a spare strawberry sundae flavored fruit bar in the freezer. Yes, everything seemed like one of the few times he had a _good_ day.

Until Trish showed up. She all but blew the door down. Not because she was in a bad mood, not to talk to Dante, just to kick it on his couch and relax in _his_ office. And nothing Dante had done had gotten rid of her. He even tried cooking specifically to burn it and smoke her out.

And in response she called Lady to put the fire out.

After chastising him, they took their place on his treasured couch, chatting about this and that, delving into their issues with Dante's way of life. Right in front of him. Knowing full well he was sitting right there. That he could hear _every insult_ they nonchalantly shot "behind his back."

He groaned loudly as he tipped his head back and draped the magazine on his face, immediately regretting it as his two "favorite" devil arms decided to break their promise once more and speak up.

"Brother, Dante is sighing."

_Jesus fuck…_

"Sighing? But why would he sigh? He has wonderful company over!" Rudra retorted to his brother.

_So help me…_

"Dante's guests are speaking ill of him, though, so of course he would be upset." Agni explained. Despite being _so_ observant of Dante's actions, he failed to notice Dante's teeth grinding due to his now agonizing levels of being annoyed.

_I will go on a killing spree…_

"Are you going to shut them up, brother, or shall I do it for your lazy ass?"

And now Vergil was entering the peanut gallery. Oooh, yes, now his beloved brother was trying to make him feel better. A killing spree really was sounding quite nice now. Hell, why don't we invite Patty while we're at it? Get the Fortuna kid here too! He knew full well how much he would _adore_ seeing Dante in joyous misery right now.

_I need that phone to ring. Please. For the love of strawberry sundaes, RING damn you!_

Much to Dante's chagrin, the phone didn't ring. It didn't even move. No sound, no miracle, no release for the poor half demon. With a tremendous sigh, Dante finally brought his feet to the ground and stood. He needed a beer. No, he needed outright moonshine. He needed out. He hefted up his guitar case- he prepped Rebellion inside the moment Trish showed up, knowing full well his day was fucked unless he left- then reached for the doorknob.

"Oh, you going out?" Lady called all too happily. "Mind picking up a pizza for us? Lots of olives, if you could."

"You're paying, of course." Trish added in with a sickening giggle.

Dante's right eyebrow twitched dangerously, as though it was about to hop off his face and slap the huntress and demoness since Dante valued his manhood too much to do so himself. They seriously did _not_ just ask him to get his most hated kind of pizza, then tell him he was paying. Oooh, hell no they didn't.

"We're out of coffee too."

And of course, Vergil could _never_ resist toying with Dante. It was his favorite past time since getting his ass out of hell –Trish be damned for that- and he took great pride in always being around just in time to do so.

Oh, but of _course_ his misery wasn't over. Of _course_ not.

"Dante! It has been so long since we have been out! May we come?" Agni called out from his perch on the office wall.

"Yes, we would love to get out and see the sunlight again and-" Rudra was quieted when Dante crushed the doorknob as he threw the door open, signaling what will happen to the sword's head if he didn't respect his initial promise to remain quiet.

The two swords sealed their mouths quite quickly.

And Dante was off. A beer, a strawberry sundae, moonshine, an entire grocery store of strawberry flavored ice cream. Everything sounded wonderful as he slammed the door behind him.

############

Lady looked over toward the wall of the office, eyeing the two swords. "If he hates when they talk, why would he keep them right where they are guaranteed to comment on what everyone says?"

"According to Trish, they add much needed color to this place." Vergil grunted as he flipped through one of Dante's weapon magazines.

A quick glance toward Trish confirmed this as she hummed innocently. The demoness had a wonderful tendency to rearrange Dante's office without his consent, often leading to some rather humorous obscenities from the half demon. It wasn't hard for Lady to recall when Trish let Nevan out. The phone call she received from Dante made her about fall over from laughing so hard.

Something was bugging her a little. Dante didn't seem like his usual "I don't give fuck" self when he left. No, he looked upset, an emotion she rarely saw truly come out on his features. She looked down solemnly, wondering if perhaps their teasing had gone too far.

_It was Trish's idea._

She made that excuse a little too easily. As much as it was true, it still didn't feel right.

And so did the intent stare she was receiving from Trish not feel right. Lady locked eyes with the demoness only to receive a cheeky grin in return, "And what are you thinking so hard about? Worried your boyfriend is a little hurt?"

Lady scoffed and turned her attention to a plank on the hard wood floor, eyeing it like it was about to attack her. She was all too thankful she was wearing her large sunglasses, which thankfully covered up her blush rather effectively. "What are you talking about, Trish? Considering the amount of lead I've pumped into his head, anyone would clearly see we don't click."

Her explanation obviously wasn't convincing, as even Vergil slipped and chuckled as he rifled through more of Dante's magazines. The hell was he doing, shopping for his brother or something?

"Suuure, honey. Now come on, I can see you want to chase after him. It's written all over your face."

"You do know that Vergil doesn't count as a witness, right?"

"Patty does though."

"She's not here-"

Lady stopped herself there. That was too spontaneous. Something was _definitely_ wrong with that statement of Trish's. She looked to the door just as it burst open, the young blonde waving her right hand around in annoyance, "Geez, what's Dante's problem? Usually he's rather happy to see me, but he just huffed and walked by me. What a jerk!"

"Told you."

Once more Lady silently asked herself the same question she had asked for years. _Why do I associate with these people?_

Perhaps it was because she knew Dante would get himself killed if she wasn't around. Or it was because she just didn't have anything else to do. She didn't exactly have many friends, especially when it came to the devil hunting field. Maybe it was she just didn't have a choice.

Kind of like with Dante's current mood due to them. The huntress stood and stretched-they had been talking for quite a while- then hefted up the Kalina Ann. She patiently waited where she was, knowing full well that Trish was going to say something snarky. "Where you going, Lady?" Much to her surprise, Patty was the first to speak, "I just got here!"

"Got a brat I need to teach a lesson to."

"A lesson on love?" Trish finally cackled. She was waiting for Lady to slip up, and from the fact that Vergil hadn't said a word, she could tell that Trish took the words right out of his stoic mouth.

"Think whatever you like, I just don't like him wandering around in that kind of mood, especially since he gets his brother's sweet tooth when he's like this." A snort from the blue clad half demon brought a smile to her face as she continued for the door, carefully turning the knob; when Dante had crushed it, it had gained some rather sharp edges.

She peaked back in one last time and smiled to Patty, "I promise we'll go somewhere _after_ I punish Dante."

"Bring back pictures!" Patty cheered happily, believing Lady to be serious about beating the poor half demon.

_Oh shit._

"Oh, please do!" Trish was dying of laughter by this point. _Damn demoness bitch…._

With a huff, Lady slammed the door shut, leapt onto her motorcycle and cranked the throttle, smiling at the sound. "Alright… Let's find a sappy little brat…!"

##############

This little walk had helped. A lot. He still craved a strawberry sundae, hell a quadruple shot strawberry martini kind of sounded good. Maybe he'd tap his debt to the huntress a bit and raid the freezer aisle of the super market in town.

"Things always have to be complicated, don't they?" Dante sighed as he twirled Ebony around, flipping it into the air occasionally to keep himself entertained as he strolled. The town wasn't exactly big, so it seldom took long for him to walk to places. But with his habitual boredom, he had to keep himself busy while he walked or he would lose his mind, especially considering his mood was still bitter.

His guard wasn't down. Not by a longshot. He was just _waiting_ for something else to happen. Surprise visit by Nero, Enzo bugging him about his random shit. Or even-

"Aw hell." He spun on his heel as he heard an all to familiar sound, receiving a boot to the face as Lady leapt off her motorcycle and drop kicked him, sending him to the ground. Memories of the punch he received from Beowulf seemed all too familiar as he slammed into the ground.

And then he was up again, "The _fuck!?_ What God's Wheaties did I piss in today without realizing it!?"

Lady snickered then offered her hand, "Couldn't tell you, but _that_ was for being a moody little brat."

Dante gave her a sour look as he batted her hand away, helping himself up and dusting himself off, "Besides, not like that really hurt all too much, right?" she teased as she turned and waltzed back to her bike. He could swear she was swinging her hips on purpose.

_Bitch. Sexy, teasing bitch._

He followed her to her bike, leaning on the handle bars as they locked eyes, "So is that all you came to do?" He doubted it.

And was right, "Figured I could use a drink. You just ended up being between point A and B."

"Funny, that's right where I was heading. Didn't take you for a day drinker, babe."

"Don't get any funny ideas. Even I can take only so much of Trish and her tea-" Lady stopped herself there, but it was far too late.

Dante's lips curled into a wicked smirk, "Please, continue. Finish that sentence." He leaned ever further onto her bike, closing the distance between their faces, "What is it that Trish does?"

"Like it even matters." Lady huffed, revving her bike threateningly; he knew full well she had no qualms with running his ass over, but it wasn't like he couldn't recover. He found this to be quite a nice stress reliever, something he desperately needed right now.

"No, please, I want to know what she does to you. Is it really that bad?" Dante prodded, his smirk spreading ever further, _daring _her to pull the throttle.

"If you're asking for an ass kicking, you know I can deliver."

"Maybe I'm just asking for a ride to the bar. This sun isn't good for such fair skin as this."

Lady sighed. Much to Dante's surprise, she scooted forward, making room for him to sit. He stood straight and strolled to her side, "Much appreciated, little Lady."

"Shut up and get on before I leave you behind."

Oh, he was enjoying this. He leapt on behind her, leaving her no time to object as he snapped his arms around her, left below and right above her breasts, then rested his chin on her shoulder. He was definitely-

His head snapped back as a .9mm went into his skull. _Should have seen that coming._ Lady had wasted no time whipping out her pistol and busting a cap into him. Not the ass kicking he was expecting, but at least he wouldn't have to worry about bruised buns or shins.

"Now how am I going to walk into a bar with a bullet hole in my head?" He groaned as she slammed the throttle, speeding off down the street.

"Should have thought about that before you decided to be a pervert, asshole!"

_Sexy, teasing, violent, hellcat bitch. What's not to love?_

_###########_


	2. Second Chance

Second Chance

A/N: Initially this was meant to be only a humor fic, but it seems I can't break out of my romance trend of writing. So, in order to make it easier on the people who prefer only humor, that first chapter can give you a laugh. If you like both humor and angsty romance, hopefully this will entertain.

All of you readers know full well that lately I've been AGAINST asking for reviews… I'm not asking for reviews. I'm just asking for opinions. I really am worried I might have made Lady OoC here, and that terrifies me. Let me know, and hell I might start writing more DMC fics.

Enjoy.

#####

It had taken a little longer than she would have preferred to get to the bar. Not that she was taking her time on purpose, goodness no. It was just a little difficult to maintain her focus on speeding through town when Dante was taking every chance he could to mess with her.

He was being unusually careful not to trigger her full temper, but he still was pushing his luck.

Heavily.

She was pleased, however, to see that the bar was pretty quiet. Considering it was three in the afternoon, it wasn't surprising, even with the bar having a lunch menu for those who were hungry.

Her stomach groaned in response to that notion. She knew full well that Dante heard it, but considering she had already asked him to get pizza, it wasn't surprising he didn't pop a snarky comment for once, instead opting to make his way to a small table.

She wasn't too happy with his choice, considering it was in a back corner and was _way_ too small, obviously meant for couples wanting to keep their public displays away from the rest of the world.

As far as she was concerned, they were _not_ a couple. Companions, yes. Partners in the devil hunting business? Definitely. Friends? A stretch, but she couldn't deny it. But they were _not_ a couple, no matter what his little mind thought.

When the barkeep took to their table, she wasn't surprised when Dante ordered a pizza. Hell, when did he _not_ eat pizza?

She wasn't expecting him to ask for a half and half though. Especially considering the half meant for her was requested to be covered in olives. Lady stared at him with dual colored eyes, half in shock, and half in confusion. Just _hearing _him ask for a pizza with olives on it was shocking, considering the very sight of them usually made him sick.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed the barkeep staring at her. "Ma'am? What would you like to drink?"

She thought about it a moment. Get her buzz right off the bat with a raw drink, or start easy so she could keep an eye on Dante… "Dirty Martini." Dante's raised eyebrow brought a smile to her. She wasn't letting him get an edge over her that easily.

Dante, of course, ordered a whole party's worth of strawberry daiquiris. Heterochromatic eyes could have sworn they spied Dante whisper something to the barkeep, and when the man turned to her and spoke, she knew something was up. "Well, a little lady that can handle her liquor! A rare sight!" he hummed before taking his leave.

"He must be new." Lady coughed, pushing stray brown locks out of her eyes as she rested her chin on her palm. Seemed like Dante had something on his mind, considering the fact he was staring at the table and not her.

_What's his problem? I know that I teased him, and even took him to the ground, but is that really that big a deal?_ She watched him intently. He always spoke up when she stared. It was a pet peeve of his when her eyes were locked on his person longer than ten seconds without words being spoken. Now she just had to wait.

Yet nothing happened. No words, no side glances, he just stared at the table like it was about to sprout wings and start breathing fire at him. Twenty seconds, thirty, not even a twitch. With a sigh, she turned her attention elsewhere. The barkeep was humming happily as he prepared their drinks; looked like they'd be at the table pretty quick. There were other customers in the place, mostly just lonely guys who thought a girl would be here at this odd hour.

Too bad for them that she wasn't that desperate.

Desperate… What about the half devil she was here with? Was she desperate for coming after him like she did? Or was it the other way around? She could see it every time she was at his office; he still couldn't hide that look. The very same look he gave her in the grand library of Temi-ni-gru.

_He just can't let go of the past._

She knew it especially drove him crazy when she crashed at his place when there was a larger mission in Capulet. He was still his perverted, smart ass, cocky, egotistical self, but… She could see it. You can't hide emotions from a woman, and the fact that it was Lady, you couldn't hide anything.

…. But what about her? What about-

She was more than happy that their drinks arrived just as that nagging inner voice started a conversation with herself that she _really_ didn't care to have. She wasted no time gripping the thin of her glass, taking a long swig- and nearly choking. It burned. Like. Hell.

She forced herself to swallow then took a long gasp of air, immediately noticing Dante had broken his stare down with the table, instead grinning, looking all too pleased with himself. "The hell did you have him do to my drink!?"

"Oh, why do you think it is me, babe? He's the one who made it. I had nothing to do with it." He stressed the nothing teasingly, chuckling as russet and blue narrowed into a glare, a low growl accompanying. Oooh, he didn't. He fucking didn't.

"This is a quad spike, isn't it?" she had heard Trish bitching about Dante's little drinking pranks, but she didn't think he had the balls to pull one on her. Apparently, he had a death wish. _Was that why he wouldn't look me in the eye?_ She couldn't help but wonder if he was scared he would have cracked if he returned her stare… No… Something was…

The thump of his first empty daiquiri glass hitting the table snapped her out of her thoughts. He was taunting her with that. _Alright… Never been one to pass on a challenge_.

Especially not to an arrogant brat like him.

###########

The drinks weren't exactly helped by the pizza. Sure, it filled her up, but it didn't ease the strain on her senses. The poison had entered her, and she was having difficulty keeping coherent thought. And that fact coupled with the look Dante had gotten in his eyes again terrified her.

"Might be… time to go." She glanced at the number of glasses on the table; four of those quad shot martinis, and enough daiquiri glasses to kill a bull rhino. She was drunk, no doubt. And Dante? Even with his demonic blood, after that much liquor even he was no doubt losing it.

With a sigh, she moved to stand, but froze when he finally spoke up, "Not until you answer me something." No slurring, no cocky tone. Just straight seriousness. She looked into his eyes and saw a look that could kill. A look that once again brought her down horrible memory lane.

"And what kind of something is that?" Lady asked, doing her best to not allow the alcohol to affect her speech, let alone her strict tone.

"Why won't you give us a second chance?"

Russet and blue eyes widened. If it was anyone else, she'd think it was just alcohol due to his wording. He wasn't talking about him. He was talking about them. Lady and Dante. Hunter and Huntress…

Ex flame and ex flame.

"Why do you have to bring that up now of all times…"

"Because it's when we're drinking when I _can_ talk to you lately. Only damn time you put your guard down."

"So you choose now, in public-"

"Would you prefer Trish to be around for this?"

She couldn't exactly counter that. The bar was near empty, Trish wasn't around to tease them, and this literally left them with as few witnesses and interruptions as possible. But it didn't mean she had to approve. "Look, I've gotten better. You can't deny that. If the old me went to Fortuna, you know damn well I would have fucked everything up, with or without Trish's help. I'm a cocky ass, yeah, but would you prefer I act like Vergil or the Fortuna punk?"

She stared at him, mouth agape. Either he grew a brain, or this was a rare case of liquor making someone talk sense instead of gibberish. "That was four years ago Lady. I hadn't even sent Mundus' ass packing yet."

Lady let out a long sigh as she finally stood, "You've grown Dante… That's definitely true." She was half expecting him to just scoff and crack a perverted joke, go back to his old self. Leave this topic alone. Instead, he stood as well, blocking her exit; damn him for making her take the seat closest to the wall, "But you haven't-"

"What, you got another excuse?" He growled as he closed the distance, mimicking their position in the grand library. He locked his right arm above her shoulder, and his left to her side. He began leaning in, threatening the lips she knew he longed for, "What are you fighting? Why are you so against this? Give me one damn good reason, and I swear…"

She was trying her best, trying to keep herself calm, to not show any weakness to him. But _damn_ if he wasn't persistent. "I swear I'll never bother you about this again…"

Lady's mind went blank. She wanted to find a good reason, but she literally lost all coherent thought at those words. He'd never bother her about this petty crush ever again, all she had to do was say something… Any of the reasons she had had in the past…

Dual colored eyes darted around, searching for something, anything to jump start her brain. Every time she thought she had something, she felt his breath on her lips. Every time she had an excuse come to her, she smelled the strawberry daiquiri on his breath.

"You can't, can you?"

Her breath caught in her throat at his words. They weren't serious anymore. They were lustful, longing, and passionate. "Damn it…" She coughed out. Not the words she was looking for, but more than enough for him to continue.

"Just give me a second chance…" He cooed as he finally closed the distance. She wanted to turn away, but that smell… that taste…

She longed for it. More than anything she wanted to taste his lips once more. Even if after this she came up with an excuse, just this once she wanted to indulge, and so she did. His lips captured hers, and she instinctively relaxed against the wall.

His hands wandered to hers, locking just as tight as their lips, and he pressed himself against her, holding her to him. She wanted to scream at herself, laugh as she put a whole clip in his head. Hell, she'd been saving a forty-four caliber specifically for if he pissed her off enough. Despite the warmth growing inside her from this kiss, she swore to herself she would put that shot right through his skull.

But not until she had her fill. She leaned into him, welcoming him, finally giving him what he wanted, gasping lightly as he released her hands to embrace her in a tight hug. Her lips parted when his tongue prodded against them, opening as though it was natural. Strawberries… the only other flavor that ever accompanied that damned tongue of his than pizza. That's what she tasted… that's what nearly brought her to her knees.

She couldn't help but curse him as he broke the kiss, looking into those icy blue eyes with untamed wanting. She wanted that moment to last longer, much to her own annoyance. If it ended too soon… She knew she'd never-

"Now was that so bad?" he asked with a cocky smirk, yet his eyes betrayed his attitude; he still wanted more himself. And her body was fighting her mind, craving to kiss him again.

"I hope you know I won't let you get away with this unscathed…." Lady growled through a smile. She couldn't help it. Something about this… It just brought back more good memories than bad. As he leaned in, she finally gained enough control to press her hand against his chest and push him away, "Come on, let's have another drink or two… Maybe…"

She held at that word, grinning maliciously as he swallowed, waiting for her to continue, "Maybe?"

"Maybe we can work something out."

Dante's grin. Oooh, that big, childish grin. He went from looking like he had been hit with a truck to drunk off his ass to serious and finally to giddy as a schoolgirl. He plopped down in his seat and waved to the barkeep, signaling that it was time for the next round. Lady followed suit, letting out one more sigh as she did, leading him to look at her with concern. But he didn't need to. It was a sigh of contentment.

Contentment that she had finally accepted that nagging voice in her head. Accepted those feelings that had been slowly eating her up inside. Now, it was time to negotiate.

#####

Four rounds of beers and another pizza. Damn, this bill was going to kill her. As she tossed three hundred dollar bills on the counter, she was thankful that Dante had indeed kept to his word. He rummaged through his pockets, finally smiling as he pulled out a twenty and a fist full of change for the pizzas.

She tapped a finger to her chin, a smile etched quite firmly as she watched him stand and stretch, "Ready to go, babe?" He was all too eager to head home; things had worked out quite nicely, especially considering both of them had come to an agreement.

Sure, she'd give their relationship another shot. It had been five years, and he had changed, as had she. They had grown up. Perhaps it was time to accept that and move on. Onto a new path that intertwined with his once more.

She wiped her finger over her lips, catching a little remaining froth from her last beer, then stood, wiping the finger on Dante's coat as she passed him. She couldn't help a giggle as he began grumbling about the cost of his clothes.

She made her way to the door, but was caught before she could even begin turning the knob. His hand was on her shoulder, halting her. He wanted more of her. Lady glanced over her shoulder, teasing him with the look, but not turning her body to face him. It drove him crazy, she knew.

He smirked. He knew what she was doing. _Guess I can give him one more…_ She turned fully, stepping up to him and leaning in, letting her lips brush against his. It was no surprise when he took her fully into his arms, pressing his lips against hers in a passionate, if not short, kiss.

She would let him have this moment. This break. Today would be his victory, because tomorrow she would come knocking with a .44 ready to puncture his skull. Hell, she wanted to see him try to catch _this_ _one_ in his teeth.

Yes, today was his win. But then again, good days were hard for Dante to have. Might as well let him have one every once in a while, right?


End file.
